This invention relates generally to dentistry, and in particular to a method and apparatus for dental implants.
For a variety of reasons, the loss of human teeth and related bony support structures is often a very difficult experience. In addition to the functional problems that result from such loss, significant emotional and psychological stresses are associated with the concerns about physical appearance and the ability to live, eat, and smile as normal, that arise after tooth loss.
In an effort to address these issues, many people turn to dental reconstruction to replace teeth. One class of replacements uses dental implants as tooth root replacements in the jawbone, with crowns, which resemble teeth and gums, attached to the implants. The present invention relates to that class of replacements.
The primary considerations in dental reconstruction are function, comfort, strength, aesthetics, and hygiene. Unfortunately, in many cases compromises must be made to one or more of these considerations to accommodate another. For example, to ensure that the reconstruction does not create hygienic problems, the crown must often be made with a non-anatomical emergence profile. Simply stated, the crown may not have the shape of a natural tooth. As another example, hygiene and aesthetics may be compromised to ensure adequate strength, such as when multiple implants are required.
To illustrate some of the problems with some prior art systems, shown in FIG. 1 is a prior art implant 10 and crown 12, with implant 10 implanted in jawbone 14. In the example of FIG. 1, the jawbone 14 has been resorbed, due to the loss of the natural root of the tooth, and is thus receded in the area of the implant 10, as compared to its normal extension shown in the area of natural tooth 16.
For hygienic reasons, it would be inappropriate to build crown 12 with the shoulders 18 shown in dashed lines, and thus crown 12 fails to provide an anatomical emergence profile. And, this problem persists even if the jawbone is not resorbed, or is reconstructed to its original architecture, shown by dashed line 20. FIG. 1 also highlights an aesthetic limitation of the illustrated prior art: in many cases it is possible to see the some of the implant between the crown and the gum line.
Therefore, a need has arisen for a dental implant and method of dental reconstruction that reduce or eliminate these problems.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a dental device and method of dental reconstruction are provided which eliminate or substantially reduce the problems associated with prior art systems.
In particular, a dental apparatus is provided that comprises a base and one or more stabilizers coupling the base to a bone. A dental fixture may be coupled to the base. In particular embodiments, one or more of the following features are included: the base includes a rim defining a recessed area; the base is set into the bone; the rim is substantially flush with the bone; or the base has a plan profile that is substantially in the shape of a tooth being replaced.
In still other embodiments, one or more abutments are coupled to the base. Also, the base may include one or more bores into which the abutments are threaded. In other embodiments, one or more abutments are coupled to the one or more stabilizers or formed integrally therewith. Also, the base may have rounded shoulders, for example in a saddle shape, to support bone growth around and between implants.
Also provided is a method of dental reconstruction that includes setting a base into a jawbone, implanting one or more stabilizers through the base into the upper or lower jawbone, and attaching a dental fixture to the base. In other embodiments of this method, the jawbone is reconstructed, for example with bone grafting, before setting the base into the jawbone. Also, one or more abutments may be attached to the base or to the one or more stabilizers.
Also provided are one-piece dental implants. In one embodiment, a dental implant includes a bone end adapted for integration with a bone, and a crown end having shoulders for supporting bone growth. In a particular embodiment, the crown end has a saddle shape. Also, the bone end may be threaded.
Another one-piece dental implant embodiment includes a first section having an eccentric shape, the first section fitting into a tooth site. In a preferred embodiment of this one-piece implant, a second section has a concentric shape, the second section fitting into a hole at the bottom of the tooth site.
Important technical advantages are provided by the present invention. In particular, the base serves as a platform to which a crown can be fabricated and affixed, and can be shaped as desired, and, as an example, can be shaped to match the profile that a natural tooth would make at the area that it passes into the jawbone region. This shaping, along with setting of the base into the jawbone, allows for broader distribution of oblique forces (into the implant and surrounding bone) generated during mastication than in typical prior art systems, where forces are concentrated on a much smaller concentric diameter of the prior art implant.
Another important technical advantage is that the platform of the base allows for a more anatomical emergence profile than is often available with prior art reconstruction systems. This enhances the aesthetic appearance of the reconstruction, and avoids many hygienic problems.
Another important technical advantage is achieved with the shoulders that provide underlying support for bone (which may be grafted) and gum growth around and in the interproximal space between implants (or implants and teeth) to fill in unsightly gaps that can arise from existing systems.